I Have Depression—An Open Letter by Paul Fenwick

This isn’t the sort of sadness that sticks around for a week and then goes
away. It’s not the sort of thing that even has a good reason, although there
might have been one originally. It’s the sort of thing that can stick with you
for months or even years, is a recognised illness, and is one of the worst
possible states a human can experience.

I know this news will surprise some of you. To many people reading this letter,
I’m the guy who’s always happy. I’m the guy who’s always having a good time,
and getting out there and doing incredible things. However for the last few
months, I haven’t been having a good time.

One of the defining symptoms of major depression is anhedonia— an inability to
feel pleasure or enjoyment. You’ve probably experienced this yourself to some
degree at various times; everything just seems a little more dull and plain and
nothing really seems fun. With major depression, nothing can seem enjoyable.
It can kill your motivation and your friendships, it can ruin your career, and
it can cause you to give up on your megaprojects in Minecraft. It’s the
anhedonia that removes one of the defining good features of the human
condition: the ability to enjoy things.

I have a lot of dear friends who have struggled, and still struggle, with
depression. Some of them have been dealing with it their entire lives. I can
only say that I have a new appreciation of their situation, and renewed respect
for their determination and bravery.

So why am I writing about this publicly? Why am I not I just keeping this to
myself and my close friends? Firstly, it’s for my own mental health. I don’t
want to hide that I’m depressed; I don’t want to pretend that I’m okay when I’m
not. Pretending is exhausting, I’ve been doing it for too long, and right now
I need all the energy I can get.

But also, I don’t want anyone to have some sort of idea in their head that
mental illness only affects certain types of people. I think the more of us who
come out with our experiences, the more mental illness will be accepted.

I do want to be clear that I would like to raise the acceptance of mental
illness in general. I have friends with bipolar, borderline personality,
schizophrenia, anxiety, and a whole slew of other conditions. And you know
what? They’re doing amazing things. I’m proud to have them as my friends.

For those of you that wish to know about the nuts and bolts of depression from
a neurobiological standpoint, I highly recommend
Robert Sapolsky’s lecture
presented at Stanford University. Dr Sapolsky puts forward a convincing case
that major depression has a strong biological basis, and that telling someone
to “get over it” makes about as much sense as telling a diabetic they should
get over that silly insulin business.

I also wish to draw attention to two initiatives in particular:
Beyond Blue in Australia, who work
tirelessly on providing resources and awareness of mental health, and
BlueHackers.org, which specifically caters
to people working in technology. Special mention also goes to
LifeLine who provide crisis support
services services, and are always in need of volunteers and support.

Finally, for all of you who have been helping to carry me through this: thank
you. I know that I’m not always good at accepting it, but I appreciate your
continuing support and patience more than I can say.